*~Caspian’s POV~*
The plan had finally worked—or at least, it was working.
I moved when I saw Lilith’s signal from the rooftop—her presence unmistakable, flanked by redhead Crescents that looked eerily like Aurora.
I walked straight over to Hazel and extended my hand.
"Hazel," I said softly, "will you dance with ?"
She hesitated. Her wary and sharp eyes searched mine. Sohow, she knew sothing was off. She didn’t trust it, and I couldn’t bla her. But we didn’t have ti for explanations. We had to distract her long enough to execute the switch.
I needed to hide her and get her out of the spotlight while we changed her dress—the one she was wearing... to Lilith. Lilith would take Hazel’s place in the crowd, and whoever that monster was... whoever dared co to take Hazel—would find Lilith instead.
She resisted at first, even trying to pull away, but the crowd around us began cheering, clapping, and chanting. That public pressure finally pushed her to place her hand in mine.
And, surprisingly, she danced. Not just danced..she danced well. For soone who had never danced before... My heart swelled as I rembered what would end this perfect mont.
As we twirled to the music, I leaned in and kissed her gently on the cheek, a soft, passing touch. Then, I pulled the cloth...specially laced with a sleeping spell from my inner pocket.
Before she could react, I held her close and pressed it gently to her nose.
Her body tensed... then relaxed. Her head lulled slightly.
Before she fell, I caught her in my arms, pretending to spin her gracefully. The crowd around us gasped, clapped, and even let out an enthusiastic "Aww"
I smiled, pretending like it was all part of the show. Then I swept her into my arms completely.
Aurora was already behind , holding the replacent dress—the blue one Lilith would wear. We moved quickly, quietly. As I carried Hazel off, I caught Cayden’s eye. He gave a slight nod. He knew what to do. He turned imdiately toward the twins and began leading them away.
Soon, Lilith would be the one holding them.
We reached the upstairs room and gently laid Hazel on the bed. Aurora entered behind . I stepped outside to give her privacy while she changed Hazel from the red dress.
A few minutes later, Aurora erged, handing the gown Hazel had been wearing. I nodded and took it to the rooftop, where Lilith and the other Crescents waited.
"You escaped?" she asked, eyeing the dress. "How did you—?"
"Told you my plan would work," I said.
I handed her the gown, and the crescents imdiately began to check the gown.
Lilith didn’t respond to the complint. She was focused.
"Has he shown up yet?" I asked.
"You an Jonathan?" Lilith replied.
"Yes." I lowered my voice. "I haven’t seen him yet. But sothing’s up... I don’t know what or who it is."
Lilith nodded, her jaw tightening.
"In the next ten minutes," I said, "et us downstairs. If you’re gone too long, the crowd will notice Hazel’s absence, and they’ll start asking questions."
She gave a curt nod.
I stepped away and went to the top of the staircase, where I waited—my hands clenched, eyes scanning the crowd below.
After a few minutes of waiting, I heard the faint clicks of heels approaching.
I looked up and for a second, my breath hitched. My heart almost dropped out of my chest.
If I hadn’t been the one who gave her that dress... if I hadn’t known that Lilith was wearing it... I would’ve sworn I was staring directly at Hazel.
I already knew Hazel and her mother looked alike...but this? This resemblance was beyond uncanny. It was haunting.
She looked exactly like her.
Hair... height...everything!
I could see how even the sharpest minds could be fooled. Hell, even I felt the illusion clawing at my instincts.
She reached the final step, and I held my hand to her.
She arched a brow. "What are you doing?"
I exhaled, steadying my voice. "We need to sell this to the crowd. Right now, you’re Hazel—my mate. So we act like it. We play the part."
She scoffed, her eyes twinkling. "Pretend to be lovebirds with soone I could literally give birth to?"
The crescent behind her let out a stifled laugh.
Lilith shook her head and chuckled lightly. "This is insane."
"I’m not trying to be funny, Lilith," I muttered, tapping my forehead. "Hazel’s life is at stake. Your daughter’s life is at stake. This isn’t a performance...it’s a shield."
"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes, but slid her hand into mine. She used her free hand to gently lift the hem of her gown gently, stepping forward gracefully as we re-entered the grand hall.
The mont we stepped in, my eyes imdiately found Caydem. He stood center stage beneath the crystal chandelier, cradling the twins in their satin-lined carriers. Around him stood several nobles..so whispering, others gazing in admiration—but none dared touch the babies. Cayden made sure of that.
Lilith gently tapped my arm. "Hey. Look."
I followed her gaze across the room—and that’s when I saw them.
A group, cloaked in rich black garnts, sat at the far corner of the hall. Their posture relaxed, but their eyes were sharply fixated on us.
Lilith’s expression didn’t change. But I felt her fingers tighten slightly around mine.
"Perfect," I whispered.
Then I turned to her, leaned slightly closer, and murmured, "Ti to be the perfect Hazel."
"Oh, bet I will," she smirked. "Watch ."
She imdiately started walking towards Cayden. At first, Cayden really thought it was Hazel until he t my gaze, and I raised my eyebrows. He also showed shock on his face, realizing it was Lilith. I gave him a curt nod, and then he took Lilith’s hand and pressed his cheek against hers.
While Lilith faked a blush, she was about to lift the twins, pretending to be their mother. Just then, both babies let out a cry.
Oh no! The babies are going to ruin everything.
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